Interactive television applications include so-called ‘Red Button’ functionality, in which a user is prompted to access additional content by an icon (e.g. a ‘Red Button’) overlaid on a displayed programme or advertisement. The user responds to the icon by pressing a corresponding key (e.g. a red button on the user remote). The displayed programme is then replaced by a display of interactive content, for example additional programme content obtained from ‘side channels’, information relating to the previously displayed programme or advertisement, or an interactive shopping application. In other examples, the icon need not be displayed and the user may access additional content regardless of the presence of an icon.
As screen sizes and resolution increase, it has become practicable to display both a programme and an interactive application concurrently, in split screen mode. However, this greatly reduces the area available for programme display; for example, if the screen is split in half, the programme display area is reduced to a quarter of the full screen area, if the aspect ratio of the programme display is maintained. Alternatively, if the interactive content is overlaid on the programme display, this may obscure viewing of the programme content or the interactive content.